THOSE LOVELY CONSERVATIVES….Via Atrios, here is Dahlia Lithwick writing in Slate about today’s arguments before the Supreme Court in Lawrence v. Texas, the gay sodomy case currently before the court. You should read the entire article, but here are a few infuriating snippets:
Rehnquist wonders whether, if these [anti-sodomy] laws are struck down, states can have laws “preferring non-homosexuals to homosexuals as kindergarten teachers.” Smith replies that there would need to be some showing that gay kindergarten teachers produce harm to children. Scalia offers one: “Only that children might be induced to follow the path to homosexuality.”
….In response to a question from Justice Anthony Kennedy as to whether Bowers is still good law, [Texas district attorney Charles] Rosenthal replies that mores have changed and that “physical homosexual intimacy is now more acceptable.” Since he suddenly seems to be arguing the wrong side of the case, an astonished Scalia steps in to say, “You think there is public approval of homosexuality?”….”You’re saying there’s no disapproval of homosexual acts. But you can’t … say that,” he sputters.
You know, in response to some email I’ve gotten I’m in the middle of writing a post about some of the things I don’t like about the extreme wing of the Democratic party. But fuck it. If I can finish it to my liking, I guess I’ll still publish it, but there’s nothing ? nothing ? in the Democratic party that comes close to matching swill like this that regularly comes out of the Republican party. Until the Republican leadership repudiates insane bigotry like this, they shouldn’t even be accepted in polite society, let alone be allowed to run the country.
